Determination of heavy metal depositing levels in erinaceus concolor in the Mediterranean Region by non-invasive methods

Today, environmental pollution is one of the various factors that pose a threat to the ecosystem. It is known that with the intensification of human activities, environmental pollution and heavy metal pollution are increasing. Heavy metals: accumulation in different concentrations and diversity in the water, soil and air that make up the habitat can have different effects on different living species. These effects on living things are important for scientific studies, and ongoing research on the effects of heavy metal pollution favours living things that are notable for their similarity to humans. Small mammals also belong to these groups of life. Small mammals are organisms that provide information about the ecosystem as bioindicators and are conspicuous for their histological similarity to humans. Insectivorous small mammals are pollutants in a variety of habitats; they are exposed to respiratory, dermal, and dietary diversity within the food network. These organisms are also potential organisms to provide information on ecosystem dynamics in ecotoxicological studies of the biological accumulation of heavy metals (bioaccumulation). In this context, the insectivorous small mammals Erinaceus europeus, Erinaceus concolor, and Erinaceus roumanicus are listed in the literature as bioindicator organisms that provide information for biomonitoring studies because they exhibit bioaccumulation when exposed to contaminants in the ecosystem. Studies using these bioindicator species generally involve invasive or noninvasive methods. Some particular advantages of studying bioindicator organisms in the wild using noninvasive methods are: Preservation of the dynamics of living populations interacting in the wild, ease of collecting sufficient numbers of samples to generate meaningful data sets for statistical studies, and the ability to work with protected or endangered organisms. In this study, the interactions of Erinaceus concolor, which can be a good indicator of heavy metal accumulation, in the ecosystem where it is found by noninvasive methods were investigated. As, Ba, Li, Be, Cr, Mn, Co, Cu, Zn, Se, Sr, Cd, Al, Ni, Fe, and Pb heavy metals accumulated in the spine from E. concolor individuals in 12 localities determined and in this study has been researched by a non-invasive method. Heavy metal accumulations in the spine of the samples caught from the determined localities (1-2 controls and localities 1-10) As, Ba, Li, Cr, Mn, Co, Cu, Zn, Se, Sr, Al, Ni, Fe and Pb (Since there is no difference between the localities in terms of the accumulation of Be and Cd elements, they are not included in the data set). Control 1 and Control 2 localities are similar to each other and the most similar groups are Lok 1 and Lok 2. In addition, Lok 3 and Lok 4 are similar to each other. Lok 5-8 and 10 flour are partially identical to each other. Lok 9 was found to be significantly different from all other localities. It is also remarkable that there is no difference between age groups in terms of total heavy metal accumulation. It is thought that this may be due to the metabolic activity that changes with age and/or the phenomenon of hair loss/post-change that occurs in certain periods.